Truck.



J. E. GALLANORE & J. L. PA'TMAN.

.THUCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1916.

l,%31,@?% Patented July 3, 1917,

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR mminm WITNESSES ATTORNEY an snsirnrunr FF1@11.

JOHN E. GALLANORE BIND JOHN L. BATMAN, OF EL BEING, OKLAHOMA.

TRUCK.

assists.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jully 33, 1%17.

Application filed June 21, 1916. Serial No. 105,055.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN E. GALLA- NORE and JOHN L. PATMAN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at El Reno, in the county of Canadian andState of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trucks and more especially to safety trucks. 7

As the primary object, this invention contemplates the provision of aplatform truck, particularly adapted for use in connection with thepostal system and it embodies principally, novel means for inclosing thetruck platform in such a manner as to prevent surreptitious accessthereto by unauthorized persons.

This invention also contemplates the prooperation, cheap to manufactureand when manufactured can be placed on the market and sold at areasonable price. p Other objects as well as the nature, characteristicfeatures and scope of this invention Will be more readily understoodfrom the following description taken in connectioh with the accompanyingdrawings and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of our invention. 7 v

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the same. Fi 3 is a section on line33 of Fig. 1 showing the doors or sldes inan open position. 7

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4r4= of 1. Fig. 5 is a section on llne 55 ofFig 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of a portion of a door in a closedposition. I Fig. 7 is a section on llne 77 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8'is anenlarged detail showing one of the connecting chains and the rollers forfacilitating the operation thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings'in which similar referencenumerals designate like and corresponding parts throughout the variousviews, we provide a truck, comprising a platform 1 on the under surfacesof which are mounted a rear bolster 2 and a front bolster 3. A rear axle4 is rigidly connected to the rear bolster While a front axle 5 ispivotally mounted on the front bolster, supporting wheels 6 beingrotatably mounted on the respectiveends of the axles for rotatablysupporting the platform. Brackets 7 extend from the front axle and atongue 8 is pivotally connected therebetween to facilitate the movementof the truck from place to place. it will be understood that theforegoing description regarding the truck proper forms no essential partof the invention and it will like wise be understood that the followingdescription of the device may be readily associated with any of thestandard type of trucks now in use.

In order to prevent thefts of packages from the truck and therebyincrease the efliciency of transportation of packages and mail matter,and incidentally safeguard the interests of the public in general, wehave mounted vertical end pieces 9 on the upper surfaces of the platformadjacent the respective extremities thereof, suitable braces 10 beingemployed for increasing the rigidity of the end pieces with respect tothe platform. The upper surfaces of the end pieces are rounded asillustrated to advantage by the numeral 11 while the inner sur facesalong the outer edges are provided with grooves 12 and further providedwith vertical grooves 13 arranged centrally therein and communicatingwith the grooves 12. llhe grooves 13 register with openings 14 in theplatform. Connected to the respective sides and adjacent the ends of theplatforms are chains 15 preferably of the flat link type, said chainsoperating in the grooves 12 in the end pieces about spaced rollers 16rotatably mounted at the point of communication of the grooves 12 and 13as illustrated to advantage in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings. Aclip 17 connects the inner ends of the chains 15 while another chain 18is connected to each clip 17 and is arranged in one of the verticalgrooves 13. In order to inclose the platform and the end ieces we haveprovided sides or doors 19. '1 ese doors are of a flexible character andare preferably formed from a plan rality of slats 20, the respectiveedges of each of which are rounded and grooved so that when the adjacentedges are arranged in intimate contact with each other they will flex,the arrangement being illustrated to advantage in Fig. 3 of thedrawings.

For the purpose of raising the doors to a closed or locked position ashaft 21 is rotatably mounted in the bolsters 2 and 3, the shaft beingpivotally mounted in spaced relation with and longitudinally of theplatform, the respective ends of the shaft proj ecting beyond thebolsters. A crank handle 22 is mounted on the front end of the shaft andfacilitates the rotation thereof. Drums 23 are rigidly mounted on therespective projecting ends of the shaft 21 and have rigidlyconnected'thereto the lower ends of the chains 18 so that when thehandle 22 is operated the chains 18 will be wrapped about the drums andconsequently exert a pull on the chains 15 drawing them through thegrooves 12, the latter also serving to guide and support the flexibledoors 19 as they are pulled therethrough.

The casing 24 is arranged about the rear projecting endof the shaft andthe drum thereon and rigidly connected to the end surface. of theplatform serving to prevent unauthorized persons from tampering with theoperating means. The larger casing 25 is also arranged about the forwardprojecting end of the shaft and rigidly connected to the end surface ofthe platform to serve a similar purpose. In order to removably hold thedoors in a closed or locked position, we have provided our improvedlooking means. In this instance this means consists of a ratchet wheel26 which is rigidly connected to the forward projecting end of the shaftpreparatory to application of the casing 25 thereabout, the wheel beingpositioned adjacent one end of the casing so as to receive the engagingend of a pawl 27 pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the frontwall of the casing 25. As is apparent, when the crank handle is being operated to raise the doors to a closed position the pawl 27 will allowthe rotation of the wheel 26 but as soon as the handle is released thepawl, gravity operable, will engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel andprevent the doors from sliding, by their own weight, to an openposition. Now in order to release the pawl a spindle 28 is rotatably andtransversely mounted in the front wall of the casing while a lug 29 isextended laterally from the spindle and is arranged above the outer endof the pawl as illustrated to advantage in Fig. 7 of the accompanyingdrawings. The spindle is provided with a slot 3O in which a key may beinserted in order to rotate the spindle and consequently lift the pawlfrom engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel to eventually permitthe doors to automatically assume an open position, due to the force ofgravity.

For the purpose of housing the chains 18 and to prevent packages carriedby the truck from interfering with the operation of the chains we haverigidly connected strips 31 to the inner surfaces of the end pieces overthe grooves, through the medium of suitable fastening devices 32.

The operation of our invention is as follows;

Assuming that a number of packages have been placed on the platform 1 ofthe truck and it is desired toraise the doors and prevent access to theinterior thereof, the handle 22 is rotated to wind the chains 18 aboutthe drums 23, the resultant pull thereof being exerted on the chains 15and the doors 19, the chains 15 being drawn through the grooves 12 and13 while the doors are drawn within the grooves 12 and guided andsupported thereby. 'When the chains have been wound a sufficient extentand the front edges of the doors abut each other the handle is releasedand the pawl 27 being in engagement with the teeth will prevent thereverse rotation of the'shaft. In other words, the pawl automaticallyglocks the doors in a closed position and prevents unauthorized personsfrom opening them. An

opening of doors, however, may be. readily ages, is obvious. The deviceis of especial .use when the sacks and packages are bein transferredfrom a train to the station an also when the truck is not in use butwhere if left unguarded thefts would ordinarily occur without the use ofthe safety means.

Although we haveshown and described the preferred embod1ment ofour-invention,

we desire to be understood that we are not to be limited to the exactdetails shown;

however, we desire that great stress be laid upon the arrangement of thenovel means for inclosing the truck platform as well as the operatingmeans therefor. Attention is also directed to the means for releasingthe operating means to permit the access to the interior of the truck.

- From the above description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it

can be easily seen that we have provided a mascara device that issimplein construction, containing but a few simple parts that can becheaply manufactured and assembled and when assembled can be placed uponthe market and sold at a minimum cost.

it will be understood that the above description and accompanyingdrawings comprehend only the general embodiment of the invention andthat various minor changes in detail of construction, proportion andarrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appendedclaims without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A truck including a platform, a shaft rotatably mountedlongitudinally and medially of the platform, end pieces connected to theplatform and provided with guiding grooves adjacent the outer edgesthereof and further provided with vertical grooves communicating withthe outer grooves medially of the end pieces, flexible doors, flexiblemeans connected to the platform and to the doors and to the shaft andoperating in the grooves, and means for rotating the shaft whereby toconsequently raise the doors to completely inclose the platform.

2. A truck including a platform, end piecesconnected thereto andprovided with supporting and guiding grooves, chains connected to thesides of the platform and operating in the grooves, doors composed of aplnrahty of slats connected to the chains, a shaft rotatably mountedbeneath the platform and having the chains connected thereto wherebywhen the shaft is rotated to wind the chains the doors will be drawn andsupported within the grooves, a casing over a portion of the shaft,coacting locking means arranged in the casing and on the shaft forholding the doors in a closed position and means removably insertible inthe casing for releasing the locking means to consequently permit of theautomatic loweri ng of the doors to an open position 3. A truckincluding a platform, end pieces connected thereto and provided withguiding grooves adjacent the outer edges thereof and further providedwith vertical grooves communicating with the outer grooves, doors,operable chains for carrying and raising the doors to a closed positionin the grooves in the end pieces, and means for housing the chains inthe vertical grooves in the end pieces to prevent interference with theeflicient operation thereof by packages on the platform.

4. A truck including a platform, end pieces connected thereto andprovided with guiding grooves adjacent the outer edges thereof andfurther provided with vertical grooves communicating with the outergrooves, flexible doors, chains for carrying the doors, other chainsconnected to the door carrying chains and operable in the verticalgrooves, rollers mounted at the point of communication of the groovesfor facilitating the operation of the chains, and means for winding thelast mentioned chains for consequently drawing the doors into theguiding grooves and into a closed position so as to inclose the platformIn testimony whereof we hereby afin our signatures on this 15 day ofJune, 1916.

JOHN E, GALLANQRE. JUHN L. FATE/IAN. Witnesses:

FRANK MEYER, EMMA Hart.

